Rope holder



Sept. 4., 1928.,

C. l.. slMoN ROPE HOLDER FilOd Dec. 16, 1927 Inventor Car/ey l f 741011 Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

uNrrEn srnras CHARLES I.. SMON, F BEARDSLEY, MINNESOTA.

`norn HOLDER.

Application led December 16, 1927. Serial No. 240,549.

The present invention relates to improvements in rope holders and has reference more particularly to a device that provides a connection between a tractor and the free end of the rope that is secured at its opposite end to an earth working implement such as for example, a plow or cultivator. l

011e of the important objects of. thepresent invention is .to provide a ro-pe holder lo wherein the same is of such construction as tonormally connect the tractor with an earth working i'mplementfso that both will travel in unison, the rope holder being of such construction as to permit the ready detachment of the rope from the holder when the earth working implement encounters an obstruction.

A further object of the invention vis to provide a rope holder of the above mentioned character which is of such construction as to permit the vsame to be easily attached to a tractor without necessitating any material alterations of the parts of the tractor with which the rope holder is to bc assoeiated, said'rope holder further including a pair of complementary j aw members that are normally urged in a closed position by means of an expansible spring, one of the. jaws being formed with a. finger engaging loop to facilitate ,the separation of the jaws and the insertion or removal ofthe knotted end of the cord.

A further object is to provide a rope holder of the above vmentioned character which is simple in construction, inexpensive, strong and durable and further wellpadapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing. vIn the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters indicate like'parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation .of a rope holder embodying my invention showing the knotted free end of a rope held between the jaws.

holder, and

-Figure 3 is a rear end elevation thereof. In the drawing whereinv for thepurpose of illustrationis shown the referred embodiment of my invention, t ve` numeral 1 designates generally my improved rope holder, the same comprising an elongated flat :of the bolt, and the same engages the bottom bar 2. 'lhe rear end portion of this bar is disposedy downwardly as at 3 and thence laterally as at 4l, the laterally disposed portion being curved transversely throughout its length to form'what I term as the upper jaw 5. y A

The forward end portion of this bar 2 is bent upwardly as at 6 and thence-laterally as at 7, the laterally disposed portion 7 being 'of greater width than the intermediate portion of the fiat strip of metal, and this enlarged forward end portion 7 is also slightly curved in order to permit the same to fit against the curved bottom face of the tractor seat A shown in the dottedrlines in Figure l.

- A bolt 8 is adapted to ente/nd through the usual opening formed in Ithe bottom of the seat A, and through a central opening formed in the enlarged forward end portion 7 of the bar 2. A washer 9 is disposed on the upper face of the-bottom of the seat and the head of the bolt engages the washer. A nut 10 is threaded on the threaded lower end 80. face of the enlarged forward end portion v7 of the bar 2 whereby to rigidly. attach the rope holder to the tractor seat.

A pair of depending ears 11 are formed at the sides of the flat bar 2 adjacent the upwardly bent portion G and a boltor pin 12 extends through the lower ends of these alined ears for a. purpose to be presently' described. y

An elongated flat metallic bar 13 is formed at its forward end with aA knuckle la through which knuckle the pin or bolt extends where-v by to provide a. pivotal connection between the forward end of the lower bar 13 and thc upper bar 2 and it is of course to be understood that the lower bar is of'less width than the upper bar.. l

The rear free end portion of the lower strap or bar 13 is bent upwardly as at 15 and is then curved downwardly and forwardly to provide'what I term as a finger engaging loop'16. A portion of this loop 16 contacts with the side edges of the transversely v curved upper jaw 5 and this portionl' of Figure 2" is a top plan view of the rope the loop provides a. lower jaw for cooperation with the upper jaw in the manner that will be presently described. The upper face ofv the lower 'aw forming portion 17 may be provided with an indenture so as to properly receive or engage the rope as shown very clearly in Figure 3. y

The intermediate portion of the bar 13 is formed with a longitudinal slot 18 and extending therethrough is the elongated bolt 19, the upper end of the bolt extending through an opening formed therefor in the intermediate portion of the upper bar 2, the head of the bolt engaging the upper face of the upper face as shown more clearly in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. 1

A nut 20 is threaded on the lower threaded end of the bolt and is spaced from the lower bar 13. y

An expansible coil spring 21 encircles the lower portion of the bolt 19 and is disposed between the upper face of the nut 20 and the bottom face-of the lower bar 13. This spring normally urges the lower pivoted bar 13 upwardly so that the jaw member 17 will beheldin engagement with the edge portions of the upper stationary jaw 5. By adjusting the nut 20 on the threaded end of the bolt, the tension of the expansible coil spring may be regulated.

.In use, the knotted free end of the ro e B that is secured at its opposite end to t e earth engaging implement, not shown, is adapted to be disposed within the rope holder between the complementary jaws 5 and 17, and to this end the finger engaging loop 16 is engaged, and the lower bar 13 is swung downwardly against the tension of the spring 21 whereby the jaw 17 is moved away from the jaw 5 and the knotted free end of the rope is inserted between the jaw members. When the` finger engaging loop 16`is released, the spring 21 will automatically swing the flat bar 30 upwardly and 4simultaneously-force the lower jaw 17 into engagement with the respective side edges of the upper jaw' and thereby enclose the knotted end of the rope within the holder so that a positive connection is provided between the tractor (not shown) andthe earth working implement (not shown).

Should the vearth working implement encounter an obstruction, such as a stone or the like so that the forward movement of the implement is hindered, the pull on the cord will result in the knotted free end being automatically disengaged from between the jaw members 5 and 17, and this ment of my invention it is to be understood that various changes in the size, shape and` arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the`spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claim. l

Having thus described the invention, what 'I claim as new is In 'a rope holder of the class described, an elongated fiat upper bar, the forward end portion thereof being` constructed for attachment to a tractor seat, the rear end por` tion of said bar being constructed to form a transversely curved jaw, depending ears formed at the side edges of the intermediate portion of the upper bar, a lower bar pivotally secured at its end between the lower ends of said ears, the rear end ofsaid lower` bark being bent upwardly to form a jaw complementary to the first mentioned ]aw, the free end portion of said last ,mentioned jaw being bent to form a finger engaging portion, a bolt secured at its upperI end to the intermediate'portion of the upper bar and extending downwardly through the intermediate portion of the lower bar, a nut threaded on the lower end of the bolt, and an expansible coil s ring encircling the lower portion of the olt and disposed between the nut and the lower-bar for nory mally urging the lower bar upwardly to maintain the complementary jaws in engagement with each other to secure the knotted end of the rope therebetween.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES L. SIMON. 

